Believe Your Smile
by Pink Yuki
Summary: Another Tok/Fuu story. Read n review? Thanks
1. Default Chapter

Believe Your Smile 

Flame of Recca belongs to Anzai Nobuyuki-sensei. I am just taking theses characters into my own dreamland so don't sue or hate me if you think the characters are OOC, bastardized, etc. Comments / flames / encouragements are welcome. Thanks for reading and hope you like it!

Pink Yuki

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Chapter 1 

The doorbell rang mercilessly. Mikagami pulled the blanket higher, covering his ears, while murmured in his sleep, "Illusion." He turned to a more comfortable position, never bothered to open his eyes. 

The doorbell rang again. 

Mikagami rubbed his eyes a little and looked at his alarm clock. Six in the morning, it said. "Illusion." He murmured again while closing his eyes one more time. If there was one thing he hated the most, it was being forced to wake up on a Sunday morning. 

"MIKAGAMI TOKIYA!!!!" Someone was shouting outside his door. Mikagami jumped out of bed. _No, it's not illusion._ He grudgingly got out of bed to find the source of annoyance. He has to go stop this nonsense, or else the neighbors were going to come over soon, or worse, they would call the police. Come to think of it, only a few people in their right mind would do something like this… 

He opened the door just in time to hear a mind-blowing "MI-CHAN!!!!!" Mikagami narrowed his eyes at the purple haired girl standing in front of him, "Kirisawa." If stares could kill, Fuuko would be on the floor by now. "What on earth do you think you are doing?" 

"Morning Mi-chan." Fuuko ignored the angry tone in Mikagami's voice and walked past him to the kitchen. "I need a place to stay, and your place is the closest." She took out the bottle of orange juice and started drinking from the bottle. 

"You what?" Mikagami slammed the door shut with rage. He watched the wind wielder settled herself comfortably on the couch and walked over. "Kirisawa, get out." He tried his hardest to sound as calm as possible, but the hostility in his voice was more than obvious. 

"I told you, I am staying." Fuuko stared right back into Mikagami's eyes. All Mikagami could see was tiredness mixed with sadness, an unusual expression from the usual bright and cheerful Fuuko, but he brushed that thought away quickly. _Who does she think she is now? _"Go back to your apartment! It's only two blocks from here! Leave!" 

Fuuko ignored him once again and put her head on the cushion. "No. I am staying. Goodnight." She yawned and closed her eyes, preparing for a deep sleep. 

Mikagami stared at her in astonishment. "Don't sleep here! What the hell…" He pushed her hard on the shoulder. "I can call the police for trespassing you know!" 

Fuuko lazily opened her eyes again. "Mr. I-am-king-of-law-school Mi-chan, I was in the police station the whole night already. Some stupid baka next door left the stove on while he went out and guess what? The whole building now looks like Recca has burnt it with all hachiryu. So, PLEASE, would you PLEASE let me sleep?" Her voice extremely patient, and when done talking, she closed her eyes again for her well-deserved sleep. 

Mikagami looked at Fuuko speechless. Indeed it was a good reason why he should let her stay, but disturbing his sleep was still unforgivable. Unconsciously, he brought his hand to rub his temples and walked back to his bedroom, mentally noting that he would make Fuuko pay him for his KIND hospitality. 

********** 

"Wake up." 

Someone was pushing her. "Another five minutes." Fuuko murmured while covering her face with a cushion. 

"Wake up or Ensui is going to make that face of yours a piece of modern art." 

Her eyes opened abruptly, staring straight into a pair of piercing blue eyes. Fuuko shook her head a little and sheepishly said, "Morning, Mi-chan." 

"Hn. More like Good Evening, missy." Mikagami shot Fuuko an icy stare before turning back to the dinning table, where a bowl of steaming Ramen awaited. "I thought you are a monkey, not a pig." He snickered. 

Fuuko was about to yell back, only to realize she was in no position to anger Mikagami. It was already dark outside. There was no way she could find an estate agent and get an apartment this time of the day, plus she has to wait for the insurance company to pay her first. She let out a lame laugh and proceeded to the bathroom. She stopped midway in the corridor when she heard Mikagami's irritated voice rang behind her. "Why didn't you go to Raiha's place?"

"He is living with someone, it's not nice to disturb them." Came a monotone reply. 

"And it's nice to disturb me?" Mikagami yelled as Fuuko closed the door of the bathroom. His chopsticks were on the edge of breaking from his sudden outburst of anger. _She is INSANE! Why can't she run to her own boyfriend? What the hell is she thinking?_

The telephone rang and Mikagami was pleased to see Yanagi's number on the caller-id display. "Yanagi? Hey…" 

"Mikagami!" Recca's voice was deafening. "Is Fuuko at your place? We have been looking for her all day." 

"Sea monkey." Mikagami hissed. "Yes, she is. Would you guys come and just pick her up? Send her to Raiha's or somewhere…" He could hear Domon wailing at the background with Kaoru making soothing noises trying to calm the big guy. 

"At least she is safe…yes hime, Fuuko's at his place…Mikagami? Can I ask you a favor?" 

"I don't want to take any orders from you." It was unusual for Recca, the proud leader of Hokage, to ask for a favor. Mikagami, however, took it as Recca trying to order him around. 

"Darn it! Didn't I say I need a favor?" Recca sounded annoyed, but he soon calmed his voice. "Anyway, what I want you to do is NOT mention Raiha in front of Fuuko, that's all. And we will come pick her up tomorrow morning. Deal?" 

"Hn." Mikagami was busy calculating his gains and losses from the deal. It sounded too good to be true; not to say a word in exchange for getting the house back to himself in 12 hours. "One more thing." 

"Gee, you lawyers are hopeless. All greedy as hell." Recca snapped and his voice soon faded away. "Mikagami senpai?" Yanagi grabbed the phone. "Is Fuuko okay? You are going to take care of her, right?" 

"Yanagi." Mikagami's voice turned a hundred degrees warmer. "She is alright and she can stay the night. But why can't I…" 

Yanagi cut him short in a worried tone. "Not so loud, Mikagami-senpai! Ano… let's just say Raiha-san got engaged this morning and the bride-to-be is not Fuuko." 

"See you tomorrow then." Mikagami kept his voice calm and maintained his usual emotionless expression, but he was shocked. He came across Fuuko and Raiha a week ago, walking hand in hand around the neighborhood. Now Raiha got engaged? And the bride is not Fuuko? He simply did not understand the situation, not that he bothered. 

Fuuko emerged from the bathroom freshened up. She trotted happily back to the living room and turned on the TV with interest, murmuring something about a show she wanted to watch. Mikagami, back at the dinning table, was analyzing her actions in silence. 

_You are going to take care of her, right?_ Yanagi's voice rang clearly in Mikagami's mind. He sighed and asked Fuuko in a bored tone, "You want something to eat?" He tried to sound gentle, but it came out as cold as usual. 

"No. I am good. Mi-chan, you KNOW that if I want something to eat I would be in your kitchen by now." Fuuko answered cheerfully without turning. She seemed occupied with the re-run of Gorilla versus Mothrea and was busy cheering Gorilla on. 

_I made the effort._ Mikagami shrugged. He seriously didn't care if Fuuko was hungry or not, if it was not a request from Yanagi he would have kicked her out by now. "Suit yourself. Yanagi is coming to get you tomorrow." He packed his emptied bowl and chopsticks and walked towards the kitchen. 

"Did she say anything?" Fuuko shuddered at the comment. She called Yanagi this morning at the police station to cancel the cinema trip they planned a week ago. Somehow, though, Yanagi had persuaded her to tell the entire story. The story she did not want anyone to know. 

"No." Mikagami glanced slightly at Fuuko, noticing her quivering lips. He felt sorry for the girl; betrayal hurts, and he understood the feeling first-hand. He sympathized her, but knew too well she was too proud to like the idea of someone pitying her. It was best to act normal. "They would be here in the morning." He put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and turned to walk upstairs. "Write a letter to the dean explaining your current situation so I can deliver it tomorrow. I will be upstairs doing my thesis paper, so don't you dare be loud." He deliberately snickered at his remark. 

"Ah yes, a letter to the dean." Fuuko exclaimed loudly. She turned her head slightly to face Mikagami, "Thanks for reminding me." She smiled widely at the older boy. 

Mikagami turned and walked up the stairs. He knew Fuuko has a strong character, but he was still glad that she was trying to act normal. He certainly did not want to counsel a distressed female, not that he was capable of doing so at the first place. Shrugging to himself, he closed the door of his bedroom and concentrated on his thesis paper. 

********** 

A soft knock on the door tore Mikagami's attention away from the computer. He walked over and opened the door for a cheerful Fuuko. 

"Here, the letter to the dean." Fuuko happily pounced onto Mikagami's King-size bed. 

Mikagami read over the letter. "Fuuko, there are misprints here, and some of the grammar are wrong." He waved the letter disapprovingly like an English teacher does. 

"Really? Well, it doesn't matter, as long as it explains." Fuuko shrugged casually and picked up one of Mikagami's book. "How can you read something as thick as this?" 

"Hn." Mikagami returned to his desk. "Law books are all that thick." 

"Whatever." Fuuko lied down on the feathery soft pillow, twirling her hair mindlessly. "You read these thousand pages long books since you were in high school anyway. So, what are you going to do after you graduate this year?" 

"Find a job." Mikagami answered in monotone. He did not like people bothering him when he worked; especially when this thesis paper was extra-important to him. He just hoped Fuuko could get the hint and leave him be. 

"Hey, Mi-chan?" Fuuko jumped up to her feet. "If I pay you rent and take care of the household, can you let me stay a while longer?" 

"WHAT?" Mikagami jumped off his chair. 

Fuuko was taken a step back from Mikagami's action. "Well, you see, I don't have the money to find a new place until the insurance company pays me. Also, err… some things happened and Yanagi and Recca are bound to ask me about it day and night, so I don't want to move back home just yet. Plus, you have three spare bedrooms here." 

"So?" 

"You would hardly notice I am here! I promise! So please?" Fuuko's voice sounded a little too desperate to be normal, but she did not seem to notice. Mikagami stared at her face for a moment before speaking, "The rent is high." He added a snicker at the end of the sentence. 

Fuuko took a deep breath. She knew he would hate the idea, and she knew he would do anything to prevent it from happening. "And that would be?" 

"US$ 400 per week." Mikagami turned back to his computer. 

Fuuko's mouth dropped open. _So he really hated the idea._ She bit her lips a little, silently calculating whether it would worth 400 dollars to avoid Yanagi and Co.'s harassment over Raiha and her. _Probably_. 

"Deal." Fuuko walked out of the room in silent and closed the door behind her, leaving a very surprised Mikagami behind. 


	2. Chapter 2

Believe Your Smile 

Standard disclaimer applied. Sorry for the grammar / spelling mistakes - my beta readers seem to only criticize my plots and such.... Thanks to Saturn and Yvenne for helping me along the way ^.^

Pink Yuki

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Chapter 2 

It was three in the morning and Fuuko still could not fall asleep. She walked around the guest bedroom she would be living in for the next week or so, mindlessly looking at books on the shelf. "Introduction to Criminal Justice, The Offender in the Community,Death Penalty Cases… Gee, does Mi-chan have anything a little more suitable for bed-time reading?" She groaned at the sight of law book after law book, until something at the corner of the bottom shelf caught her eye. 

Glaring Dream. By Kagamiya Mikito 

"There." Kagamiya Mikito was a popular romance novelist and his first book, Glaring Dream, was published around the time Fuuko graduated high school. The fact that he never appeared in any media only made him more popular. "I didn't know Mi-chan is also a Kagamiya-sensei fan?" Fuuko nearly giggled imagining Mikagami reading romance novels. 

"Oh dear, the whole collection of Kagamiya-sensei's work." Fuuko took out all five of Kagamiya's novels and moved them to the living room. Even though Fuuko was never a romance novel fan, she enjoyed reading his books. Unlike the common I-love-you-you-love-me-let's-die-together romance novels, Kagamiya's work was darker, filled with deaths and violence. It was the graphic description of fighting inside these books that made Fuuko read them at the first place. 

Fuuko began reading, and by the end of the third book, she finally fell asleep on the sofa. 

********** 

Fuuko did not wake up until she heard murmurs around her. "Poor Fuuko…" "That Raiha doesn't know what he is missing…" "I hope she is okay…" 

_Why do they have to talk like I am about to commit suicide because of Raiha?_ Fuuko flickered her eyes a little and was about to turn to sit up. "Did you watch KOURAN NETWORK LAST NIGHT? Raiha's engagement party was the late night special." She froze at Koganei's solemn comment. 

"You didn't think Fuuko watched it did you?" Yanagi's whispered nervously to the rest of the gang. 

Not wanting to hear more of this, Fuuko sat up with a big yawn, pretending she had just waken up. The first sight she saw was a line up of all her friends, namely Yanagi, Recca, Domon, Koganei, and Ganko, all surrounded the sofa with sadness in their eyes. _Funny, this make me think of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, well, five dwarfs. _She chuckled to her own thoughts and greeted her friends with a smile. 

"Hi guys." Fuuko stretched and sat up straight. 

"Are you okay, Fuuko-neechan?" Ganko nervously asked. Everyone cast a weary eye on Fuuko that made her felt a chill down her spine. 

"Of course I am fine." Fuuko smiled brightly at her friends, "and Mi-chan let me stay here until I found a new place." 

"You are not coming back with us?" Yanagi sat down on the bed and hold her friend's hand with a worried expression. "You know, going back home will be bett…." 

"I cannot cut school, final exams are coming up in a month." Fuuko cut Yanagi short in a determined tone. "Commuting is just too troublesome. I have to travel at least 45 minutes to go to school if I move back home, and all my classes start at eight. You don't want me to be late for school everyday, do you?" 

"Well…" Being the soon-to-be teacher, Yanagi was having a mental conflict in whether she should force Fuuko home or kept her principle in going to school on time. 

"If that's what Fuuko wants to do, let her do it." Recca simply stated, giving his hime a reassuring smile. "She can take care of herself. We all know that." 

"Yeah, and she will come home once school is over." Domon had a wide grin on his face also, "Right, Fuuko?" He gave Fuuko a squeeze on the shoulder. 

Fuuko nodded, silently thanking her two best friends for the support she needed, until she felt Domon moving closer and closer to her face… 

"Now give your true love a kiss ~" "MISAWA MITSUHARU ELBOW ATTACK!!!!!!" 

*********** 

Fuuko saw her friends left with a wave at the doorstep and swiftly walked back to her room. _Now I guess I have to go get my essentials…_ She opened her backpack for the few things she managed to take with her when the fire broke out – check book, wallet, Fuujin, cell phone, the family photo album, and the framed picture of Raiha and her taken on their 3rd anniversary. 

Fuuko looked at the photo with a sad smile on her face. She traced Raiha's face with a finger, remembering the last words he said to her. 

"Fuuko-san, Gomen." 

_Baka! He couldn't even face me thereby did it over the phone._ Her fist tightened for a second but soon fell limply at her side. She still could not understand why he broke up with her so suddenly, but she never questioned him. Raiha always has a reason behind his actions; moreover, her pride would not let her do so. 

Fuuko carefully placed the photo down on the bedside table. As if mesmerized by the happy image in the picture, she stared at it silently, lamenting the memory that seemed so far away. 

"I would throw that away if I were you." A cold voice suddenly rang behind Fuuko. She turned to find Mikagami standing in front of the bookshelf, obviously looking for a book. 

"Mi-chan!" Fuuko let out a gasp, and soon she stood with one hand on her hips, a finger pointing at the INTRUDER. "Can't you just knock before you come in? I could be changing or…"

"The door was open." Mikagami took out a book and turned to leave, "Not that I would want to see you change anyway, MONKEY." He snickered as he closed the door behind him. 

"Wait til I catch you crying reading romance novels!" 

"Not a chance." Mikagami narrowed his eyes and saw the novels by the bedside table. "If you are talking about Kagamiya Mikito's books anyway." 

"You bought them." Fuuko felt like the fighting spirit in her rose a level higher, and, unconsciously, a mischievous smirk find its way to her lips as she glared at the silver-haired man at the doorway. 

"I wrote them." Mikagami stared back with an equally challenging smile. 

"Geh???" Fuuko stumbled backwards. "But…" She looked at the books then back at Mikagami. Unsure as to whether it was "Mikagami is Kagamiya" or "Mikagami, the freeze boy, was capable of writing romance novel" shocked her more, Fuuko fell speechless and just looked at Mikagami wide-eyed. 

"Put that stupid face away." Mikagami looked annoyed. "Money doesn't fall from the sky, Monkey. How else do you think I can keep the mortgage for this apartment up? A part time job at the supermarket?" He turned and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Hard. 

Fuuko didn't blink for an entire minute. Mikagami Tokiya, THE ice-cold-I-have-no-human-emotions-especially-love Mikagami Tokiya, is a romance novelist? That just did not make sense. _I guess that explains the great fighting scenes in the stories… He has enough first-hand experiences for sure._

*********** 

"Yes, don't worry. I am staying with a friend… Mikagami Tokiya, remember? From high school, a year older… yes, I won't cause any trouble… yes, I have enough money, and I told you insurance is going to cover it… yes, I am eating fine…. yes, I am sleeping well… no, I am NOT coming back…NO, you don't need to come see me…. NO, I AM NOT CRYING… Take care." Fuuko put the phone down with a long sigh. For the thousandth time, she wondered why her Mom has to ask so many questions. 

"Your Mom?" 

"Geh! Mi-chan! Can you stop this horrible habit of appearing behind people so abruptly?" Fuuko turned to see the older boy sitting down at the dining table; a large pizza was put neatly in front of him. 

"This is my house and I can do whatever I want. If you don't like it, leave." Mikagami glared at this GUEST of his, wondered for the millionth time why he had let her stay. 

"What kind of pizza?" Fuuko sat down opposite her ex-teammate, practically drooling at the irresistible aroma. 

"Everything except anchovies." Mikagami looked at the girl in front of him. "Would you put that gluttonous face away? You are SUPPOSED to be a monkey, not a pig; or have you changed your mind to become one?" 

"Can you stop calling me names?" Fuuko grabbed a piece of pizza in hand and made a face at the boy in front of him. "Freeze boy." She winked. 

"Very funny, Kirisawa, very funny." Mikagami snorted and took his share of pizza. 

"Say, Mi-chan, do you ever cook? It seems like all you eat is instant food or take-outs." Fuuko eyed the man in front of her cutting the pizza with knife and fork, wondering how some people can actually eat a slice of pizza with such manner. 

"No." Mikagami continued to cut his pizza with precision like a surgeon does when operating. 

"What do you like to eat?" 

"Kirisawa, don't even think about cooking yourself." Mikagami finally looked up from his little pizza squares. _I don't want this place end up like yours._

Fuuko shrugged carelessly and stood to clean up the plates in front of her. With a sly grin, she turned and walked up the stairs. 

********** 

Mikagami stood in front of the door, inhaling that wonderful aroma in the air. _Miso soup, tamagoyaki… ah, my favorite karei shiyoyaki._ He shook his head hesitantly, reminding himself that he should not envy his neighbors for little things like this, and inserted the keys to his apartment. 

It was a surprise that the aroma grew stronger as the door opened. Mikagami placed a suspicious glance towards the kitchen, and slowly closed the door behind him. He could hear soft humming of a song from the kitchen, and the wonderful smell of homemade food overwhelmed him once more. 

"Mi-chan! Okairi!" Fuuko had her hands full with a tray of food in her hands as she walked out of the kitchen. An apron around her waist and her smile beamed through the steamy surrounding. Mikagami blinked; for a moment, he thought he saw someone else. 

"Here, take these to the table will you? I just need to add a little garnishing to the last dish." Fuuko shoved the tray of food into Mikagami's hands and turned back into the kitchen. 

Mikagami took the dishes to the dining area slowly. While he finally set everything onto the table, Fuuko already pounced out of the kitchen and settled herself for dinner. 

"Itadakimasu!" Fuuko smiled at the boy sitting across the table. Even though Mikagami had on his ice-cold demeanor, she could clearly see the shock, mixed with hunger, in his eyes. 

She watched intently as he sipped the soup and took his first bite of the food laid in front of him. "What do you think?" Fuuko grinned. 

"Okay, seeing it came from you." To her disappointment, he did not even look up. She started eating, and the dinner went on in silence. 

It was not until she packed the dishes away did he finally spoke. "Where did you learn to cook?" His eyes gleamed in mild surprise that he ate so much. 

Fuuko turned, and in a happy tone, she answered. "Raiha taught me. He is a really good cook." With that she walked into the kitchen, and the dishwasher's humming noise soon followed. 

Mikagami sighed. The mocking in her voice was more than obvious. He could even sense the quivering in her tone when she said the words. For the first time, he was glad that Fuuko was here instead of going back with Recca and Yanagi. _At least she does not need to suffer through the pampering. And I get to have some extra cash and food._ He shrugged carelessly and turned to walk up the stairs. 

********** 

Mikagami brought his hands up to rubbed his temple. _Seven hours staring into the computer screen non-stop…_ He stretched in his seat and turned off the music from his stereo. 

He opened the door and walked down the stairs, hoping a glass of water would restore his energy and, most important of all, concentration on his paper. To his surprise, he heard faint noises coming from the living room. _Kirisawa, I thought I told you to turn off the TV. _

Mikagami slowly walked towards the living room. There he saw Fuuko curled up against a blanket, mindlessly staring at the video running. 

~ AND WE WELCOME THE BRIDE-TO-BE AND GROOM-TO-BE! ~ Someone on the TV excitedly announced. Mikagami turned his attention to the TV, shocked to see Joker, clad in a fitting tuxedo, opened the door to welcome the new couple. 

Raiha, and a girl Mikagami had never seen in his life. 

"You really should work on that, not many people appreciate having someone suddenly appear behind them." Fuuko spoke softly, but she made no movement but continued to stare at the TV screen. 

He walked towards the girl. For the first time Mikagami thought the purple haired girl in front of him looked fragile. He carefully settled himself on the other end of the sofa, sipping the glass of water he brought with him, and together they watched the TV in silence. 

Fuuko spoke when the new couple was cutting the six-layered cake. "Raiha looked happy." She said in a sad, determined voice. 

"Yes he did." Mikagami suddenly had the urge to just turn and run back to his room. This was not the Fuuko he knew, the gentleness in her voice were the sadness on her face were anything but comfortable for him to deal with. He felt sorry for the girl next to him, but he is not the right person to talk to about a situation like this. For once, Mikagami did not feel so confident anymore. In fact, he is scared to face Fuuko. 

"Yukiko-san… she looks like a nice person." 

Mikagami merely nodded. 

Again, they watched the tape in silence. It wasn't until the tape finished with large red letters saying KOURAN PRODUCTIONS did Mikagami spoke. "Where did you get this tape?" 

"It's in my locker this morning when I went to school." Fuuko stirred and sat up. "Apparently someone thinks that it would be funny for me to watch this." She said calmly as she walked towards the machine and extracted the tape. "I am not the most popular person in school, you know." She smiled a tired smile. 

Mikagami stared at Fuuko blankly, trying to act as indifferent as usual. His eyes, however, betrayed him as sympathy was written all over his gaze. 

They stood looking at each other for a long while. As they finally broke their eye contact, Mikagami turned abruptly heading back to his room. 

"Mi-chan." Mikagami stopped in his track, turning to return a questioning gaze to the girl. For a moment, he thought he would be forced to console a crying Fuuko. "Can we talk?" Fuuko looked at him, smiling brightly as she usually do, and sat back down on the sofa. 

He hesitated, but retraced his steps back to the sofa. 

"Mind if I smoke?" Fuuko asked as she withdrew a pack of cigarette from her pocket. 

Mikagami nodded. "I didn't know you smoke." He pulled out an ashtray from the cabinet and placed it on the coffee table. 

"I don't. This would be the first time." Fuuko laughed gingerly, lighting her first cigarette with great caution. "Do you?" She inhaled, and promptly coughed at the bitterness of nicotine. 

"Yes." Mikagami took the cigarette out of her hand. Slowly, he placed it to his lips and inhaled. 

"Why?" Fuuko lit another cigarette and tried again. 

"I don't know." Mikagami answered truthfully, looking into the tiny red flame at the top of the cigarette. 

Fuuko stopped talking. They sat in silence as she inhaled and exhaled slowly until she perfected the act. Mikagami picked up the remote control and changed the channel. 

"You don't like the KOURAN NETWORK?" The same soft tone, so different from usual, rang in his ears again. Mikagami felt his eyebrow twitches at the sad, calm voice coming from his former teammate. 

"No." 

"I like it. It's the trashiest channel on the planet, and they have the worst dramas on all day. But I like it." Fuuko reached for the ashtray and put out her cigarette. "Why do you write love stories?" 

"They just came out that way." Mikagami lit his third cigarette. "I didn't plan them." 

"Pure talent eh?" Fuuko smiled. "I really like your books." 

"Thank you." He breathed out slowly and let the smoke cast a screen between him and Fuuko. Unconsciously, he hoped this little barrier would remain. 

"Do you believe in love?" The smoke evaporated and he could see Fuuko staring straight into his eyes. He suddenly felt uncertain whether he should answer the question. 

"Yes, and no." Mikagami answered cautiously, reminding himself not to engage in such deep talk with the girl next to him. 

"I do. The minute I saw how Recca looked at Yanagi, and I said to myself, 'So this is what love is like.'" Fuuko still had that smile plastered on her face, but her expression slowly grew dim. She cleared her throat and regained her composure; "Neon sent me a letter today." 

Mikagami raised an eyebrow. Not wanting to say anything, he gestured Fuuko to go on. "She said she is sorry for what happened. Political marriage, she said. Yukiko-san is some Singapore billionaire's daughter. You know, the kind that immigrates somewhere else and becomes rich really quick?" He continued to stare at Fuuko, who smile brightly when reciting the letter. "Anyway, apparently she had a crush on Raiha since they met during a business gathering last year. And being the _loving_ father, her Dad threatens to stop all trade with Kokom Corp unless Raiha dates his daughter. It was 20% of Kokom's revenue, you know." Fuuko lowered her head onto the cushion, "Apparently Kurei believed that Mr. Whatever was just using them for expansion, but since it IS a large part of their income, he has consulted Raiha about it, asking Raiha to take her out and stuff. Neon said she has never thought of things going this far." 

Fuuko picked up the cigarette packet again. "Seems like Raiha told them about the marriage one day. No advance notice." She threw the packet down at the coffee table, then proceed to toy with the lighter, mindlessly looking into the flame. "'It's for the best of Kokom Corporation.' He said." 

Tired of looking at the weak flame, Fuuko simply lied back down on the soft cushions. "It was he loyalty that impressed me. How ironic. It's also his loyalty that…" Her voice trailed off into soundless murmurs as she concentrated on the TV. She laughed at one of the jokes it was showing heartily. "Thanks for listening, Mi-chan." She said solemnly. 

"You're welcome." Mikagami finished his water and turned to leave the girl sitting in the dark. He went into the kitchen and poured himself another glass of water, hoping this time it would let him forget everything he just heard. 

When he finally reached his bedroom, he saw Fuuko there waiting. 

"Just one favor?" Purple hair had covered most of her face so Mikagami could not tell what she was thinking. He nodded, despite the thought that he has done enough favors for the girl already. 

"A hug. That's all I need." She smiled weakly at the older boy. 

_It's an exception._ Mikagami thought. He closed the distance between them, and encircled the girl into an embrace. He felt her rested her head onto him, and in a brief second, she pulled away and walked back to her room in hurried steps. 

It was not until he went inside his room did he felt the tears Fuuko left on his shirt. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Believe Your Smile**

Standard disclaimer applied. Sorry for the grammar / spelling mistakes - my beta readers seem to only criticize my plots and such.... Thanks to Yvenne for helping me along the way ^.^ 

Pink Yuki

--------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3

Fuuko grabbed a can of sports drink from the fridge and threw it at Domon. Opening one herself, she drank half its contents in one gulp and smiled. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem girl. That's what friends are for, right?" Domon finished his drink and laughed.

It has been exactly one week since Fuuko stayed in the Mikagami residence, and somehow she has gotten herself a decent apartment near the university. Despite the lack of luggage, Domon still offered to come and help her move.

"But what I don't understand is, why doesn't Mikagami come help? It would be so much easier, not to mention cheaper, with his car…" Domon's comment trailed off as he saw the wind wielder walked towards the window.

"Simple. I didn't tell him I am moving out today." Fuuko opened the window and let the gentle breeze reminded her of what happen. _How could I stay in the same place as Mikagami now? He has seen me CRY! Maybe he didn't notice… whom am I kidding? It's Mikagami we are talking about here…._ She let out a sigh under her breath and turned back to face Domon, who looked absolutely lost at what he just heard.

"Anyway, why don't we start unpacking? No… that box contains my underwear! Don't you dare touch that you gorilla!"

**********

Mikagami was slightly surprised that he didn't smell the usual homemade food when he stopped at his door. _Am I getting dependent of Fuuko's cooking now? That's not good._ He silently reminded himself while letting himself in, with his editor in tow.

He walked into the apartment cautiously, half expecting a certain purple head to pop out from the kitchen with a loud shout of "Okaeri!", thereby embarrassing him and scaring his editor. No. The apartment was absolutely quiet. _So much for me to make up an excuse saying that she is a maid here already…_

Mikagami showed the editor in and excused himself to the kitchen. He opened the fridge hoping to get his guest a glass of water, but what he saw stunned him. The entire refrigerator was stocked up with food, and to be more precise, homemade food all ready for reheat. On the top of a bowl was a letter.

"Hi Mi-chan!

Found a place yesterday but didn't have a chance to tell you. Anyway, I am moving out today. Will contact you if I got into any troubles, just you wait!

Fuuko

P.S. US$300 is attached, will pay you the rest later in the month.

P.P.S. Sorry I read your new story… but it was just sitting there on the coffee table!"

Mikagami neatly folded the letter back and put it on the kitchen table. _So she is gone. _ He robotically poured the water and walked back out to the living room where his editor awaits.

"Mikagami-sensei, this is the first installment to the story right?" His editor waved the manuscript at him. "I guess… another two installment should finish it right? I am looking forward to them." With that he carefully put the manuscript in his briefcase and prepared to leave.

"One more thing, Mikagami-sensei, there have been quite a lot of phone calls lately asking for interviews and such…" His editor slowly stood up while avoiding Mikagami's stare. 

"Didn't I say I don't do any publicity?" Mikagami answered coldly, surprising himself as the words were a little more distant than he wanted to sound.

"Yes, but…" His editor grinned good-naturedly, inching towards the door. "But if you ever change your mind you should give me a call ASAP. In any case, give me a call in a month to discuss the last chapter okay? Bye." With that the man slipped through the door and departed.

Mikagami merely nodded to the closed door as he finished his water and absent-mindedly walked up the stairs to his room. He sat in front of the computer for a moment, and began feverishly worked on the second installment of his story.

It wasn't until midnight did he stopped. Mikagami was surprised at the speed he wrote, but more so at the content. On the computer screen, black and white, was the condensed version of Fuuko's love life. His had the strongest urge to delete the entire content, but was unable to bring himself to do so. 

_Fuuko._

Mikagami suddenly wondered how Fuuko is doing right now. For some odd reason when he thought of the purple-haired tomboy the image of food immediately entered his mind. Fuuko was right. He had been eating instant food for almost all his life, and a week's worth of homemade food has spoiled him.

_Fuuko._

But food was not the one thing he remembered the most. It was that look on Fuuko's face while she cooked. Mikagami came across her kneeling in front of the oven last night, staring intently while waiting for the apple pie to baked. The innocence and determination on her face made him stopped in his tracks for a second. He could feel a genuine smile approaching his lips as he watched.

But Fuuko's tears scarred the image. No, he did not see her crying face, but that only made the situation worse. Imagination is a horrible thing.

_Fuuko._

There were nights when he seemed to hear her sobbing in her room. Imagination or not, he still did not know. Yet at those times he would walk to her room, staring straight at the door, debating whether he should check on her or not. However, he would always stop himself before he turned the doorknob, _this is none of my business, _ and he would turn and walk back to his room with concern written over his eyes.

Mikagami stood from the computer desk abruptly, knocking down his chair. He panicked. The sudden awareness of this paternal feeling over Fuuko has proven to be more than a shock for him. _A glass of water. Yes, a glass of water should do me some good right now._

**********

Fuuko looked around her new apartment. _Damn Tokyo land prices, this place isn't even as big as Mikagami's master bathroom! _ She winced as she idly picked up books on the floor. She still needed to clean up her room, or else there would never be enough space to spread out her futon.

She blindly put books onto the bookshelf until she reached a hard covered fiction – Mikagami's "Glaring Dream", of which she has persuaded Mikagami to simply give it to her."You can ask for free ones from your editors anyway." She cheekily reasoned while Mikagami just waved behind his back in annoyance.

_Mikagami._

Fuuko flipped through the first few pages. It was rare for her to want hard covered books, but it was even stranger how she now so easily associated Kagamiya as Mikagami. The thought of Mikagami struggling with romance plots brought an involuntary smile to her face.

_Mikagami._

But what made her smile widened was the look on Mikagami's face whenever he returned from his evening seminars. Every time she heard the doorknob turned and looked, she would see Mikagami stood there at the doorstep, taking a deep breath of the food's scent. It was then did she realize that cold front he put up was nothing but to hide the child in him.

An exquisite bland of childishness and maturity, she mused, was what Mikagami was. She could not forget the awkward embrace they shared. Despite her tears, she discovered that the man whom she regarded as nothing but an arrogant bastard was actually quite caring. She felt oddly safe in his arms, and that was why she pulled away.

Mikagami.

It was that brief second of security that made her paused at his door in countless occasions. She knew that the second she knocked on the door Mikagami would be there, that he would silently listened to what she had to say with a slightly irritated look on his face. Mikagami was not a man of words, but she knew she could trust him. Not the kind of trust she had in him during battles, but reliance between… friends.

Fuuko dropped the book and fell back onto the floor. She stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. She had lost track of when she started seeing the older boy as a friend. Mikagami was a comrade, an acquaintance, and she thought that's all he would ever be.

_But obviously I am wrong._ She toyed with the idea of grocery shopping with Mikagami or going to the movies with him and let out a laugh. _Mikagami would not welcome the thought of being a FRIEND._ She smiled sadly, and sat up to continue with her unpacking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Believe Your Smile**

Thanks to everyone of you who had given me great encouragements. To tell the truth I am quite tired of writing FuuToks already, but don't worry! I will finish this one up, so please leave me comments and such!!

PinkYuki

--------------------------------------------------- 

Chapter 4 

"Thanks for the notes! Wouldn't have passed the exam without it." Fuuko dramatically bowed to one of her closer friends in school, earning an embarrassed giggle from her companion. 

"Geez... but you do know that I am not giving the notes to you for free right?" Her friend winked as she extracted a thick pile of paper from her bag. "Here, the law society's flyers. Put it up all around campus okay? I don't think I can do it on my own." 

"Oh yeah, you are pre-law right?" Fuuko took the flyers in her hands and casually looked over it. "Let's see... Thesis Defense, 'Excuse and Justification in the Law of Fair Use: Commodification and Market Perspectives'... Mikagami Tokiya!?" Fuuko exclaimed as she saw the tiny picture of Mikagami at the bottom of the page. 

"Oh, so you are one of Mikagami-senpai's admirer too?" Her friend excitedly asked. "Be sure to come then... it would be the last time we can see him on campus you know... In fact, part of the reason why I wanted to go into pre-law was because of him...." 

As the girl trailed off into her little dreamland, Fuuko just stared at the picture of Mikagami silently. _So he has finished his thesis eh. _Even in his cap and gown Mikagami looked annoyed, as if he was forced to take the picture. 

It had been 3 months since they last talked, and that was when she stayed with him. Fuuko has had urges to call the older boy, but every time she would hesitate and called Yanagi instead. It was always at the back of her mind that there was no reason to call Mikagami. What would he say? What would she say? If she said she just called to say hi he would probably hang up on her. 

That's the Mikagami she knew. 

Fuuko let out a sigh. _Even if I think of him as a friend, he would probably back away anyway._ She took the tape from her classmate, and proceeded to hang up flyers. 

********** 

Although he hated to admit it, Mikagami had waited for her call. 

After all, she did say that if she got into trouble she would call right? And being the monkey she was, and always will be, she should have called a million times already. However, his reasoning proved him wrong. No matter how many times he checked his caller-id, there was never one with her name on it. 

He could have called. Getting her number would be easy - Yanagi would definitely have it. Then again, why would he call? For what reason? Yanagi would probably ask, and he would not have an answer. Even if Yanagi didn't say anything and gave him the number, what would he say when Fuuko picked up the phone? "Hi, just want to see if you are still alive"? He could imagine how she would burst into laughter and teased him to no end. 

So in conclusion, he was not going to call. 

That was why he was surprised when he saw Fuuko at the back row of the seminar room at his thesis defense. For a second, he was lost in thought and just walked up to the girl. He could sense the curiosity in other people's eyes - the ice king of Law school, not to mention the winner of the unofficial best looking guy on campus competition, walking up to a girl, it could probably be the title of the student newspaper tomorrow. 

Fuuko stared at him with the cheerful grin she always had. They just looked at each other in silence, until Mikagami abruptly asked, "What are you doing here?" 

Fuuko blinked. For a second she didn't know whether she should laugh or she should be angry. "What do you think?" She laughed. "My, my... Mi-chan, you are getting more and more offensive by the day!" Fuuko was laughing so hard that her face was getting flushed. 

Mikagami narrowed his eyes, a frustrated groan was threatening to escape his lips. Before he could mutter a retort, Fuuko looked up. "Mi-chan, you want to go for coffee or something after this? Haven't seen you in a while." 

"Hn." Mikagami looked at the grin on Fuuko's face and absentmindedly brought his hands to his temples. "Stay around afterwards then." He turned to walk towards the podium, wondering why he had accepted the invitation so carelessly. 

"FUUKO!" A hissed came from her back, and when Fuuko turned to face her friend, all she saw was jealousy written all over her friend's eyes. "You know Mikagami-senpai? How come you never told me? How long have you known each other? What relationship do you have with him? And most importantly, do you know if he has a girlfriend?" The jealousy in the girl's eyes suddenly turned into all stars and hearts. 

"Calm down." Fuuko nervously laughed. She certainly didn't want anyone to strangle her simply because she knew the ice boy. "We went to the same high school, and no, for all I know he doesn't have a girlfriend." 

"Really?" The girl looked as if god has just spoken to her, but then she suddenly turned to face Fuuko. "You're not after him, I hope? Inviting him to coffee..." She eyed Fuuko skeptically. 

Fuuko's eyes widened out of amazement. "Me? Ice boy? Hell no!" She laughed heartily. "Just to catch up on the old times, my dear." Her laugh soon turned uncontrollable until she heard her friend whispered not so silently to herself. "Yeah, you are still hung up on that old flame of yours..." 

Fuuko felt as if she was stabbed and stopped laughing hastily. Her friend seemed to have notice her inappropriate comment and apologized, but Fuuko simply offered a weak smile. She silently thanked the host for announcing the start of the thesis defense at that exact moment. 

********** 

"So, how are you?" 

"Good." 

"Any job offers?" 

"Plenty." 

"Decided on anyone of those yet?" 

"No." 

Fuuko looked at the man in front of her and sighed. _Yes, this is the freeze boy I know._ She gave up on asking more questions and just sipped her coffee, admitting defeat. _I will give a prize to anyone who can actually hold a conversation with him for more than 20 minutes..._ She thought bitterly. 

Mikagami, on the other hand, was still debating with himself why he had come with Fuuko to coffee. When he finally snapped out of his trance, all he saw was the purple haired girl staring silently at her cup with a bored look on her face, as if she was forced to meditate on the remains of her coffee. That atmosphere was weird. "So..." Mikagami tried to find something to talk about, but found nothing in particular. 

Fuuko looked up in surprise when she heard Mikagami trying to start a conversation. The irritated look on his face as he struggled to find a topic was priceless and she just couldn't help but smiled. _Well, Mikagami was never talkative like Recca or Domon were. _"How's your book coming along?" 

Mikagami nearly sighed out of relieve. "It's... going." 

Fuuko felt like she was on the edge of exploding. Just when she thought that he was making some effort in talking to her, he came back with these 3-words-or-less answers. She was contemplating whether she should start shouting at him or just storm out of the coffee shop when she heard him continued. "Mind if I ask a question for plot development? Seeing that you have read the story without my permission already." 

Mikagami looked at the fuming Fuuko quieted down and smiled. It was so easy too read her mind that it made him worried about her. "About the girl, what do you think would be the best ending?" To tell the truth, he didn't really care about Fuuko's opinion. He had completed the story already and it was going to be picked up by his editor tomorrow. Then again, he should try to talk, shouldn't he? She did buy him coffee. 

Fuuko thought for a moment and gave her answer cautiously. It's Mikagami she was talking to here, and she did not want to offer a careless answer that would make him shook his head in disapproval. So she gave an analysis of the character and plot, then slowly reached her conclusion. 

Mikagami looked at the girl in front of him amazed. Fuuko was really trying to give him a good answer and not one of those stupid jokes she always said. What amazed him more was how close Fuuko's version seemed to matched his own. There were several things Fuuko pointed out that made him think, and when he went into the details, the conversation has turned into a heated discussion. 

********** 

"Mikagami-sensei, you... err.... don't look so good today. Are you ok?" The editor reached for the manuscript in front of him with a raised eyebrow. For all he knew, Mikagami had never looked anything but perfect. But today's Mikagami seemed to have forgotten to brush his hair and to shave, and to top it off his shirt was wrinkled. 

Mikagami remained silent. Thanks to the discussion he had with Fuuko, once he got home last night he had been working on modifying his story until daybreak. 

"Hmm... this is a little different from what we have talked about, but it's good." His editor flicked through the pages with a slightly surprised look on his face. "It seems to have a... hmm... feminine touch in it. Considering the reader base, I'm sure it would drive them wild!" His editor was so excited that he now looked as if he was going to suffer a stroke. "So, have you decided on the book's name yet?"

Mikagami looked at his editor blankly. "Actually, I haven't yet." He said tiredly as he reached for his fifth cup of coffee of the day. 

"Hmm.... how about Wind Goddess?" His editor suggested excitedly. "Seeing how the main character always stand in windy places to think and all the main scenes happen when there is wind blowing...." 

"No!" Mikagami stopped the editor abruptly. Upon seeing his editor's surprised face, he added. "No, Wind Goddess would not be appropriate, I think..." He trailed off as he sipped his coffee again. At the same time, his cell phone rang, which caused Mikagami to nearly choke while picking up his phone. 

"Good morning! Guess who?" A cheerful voice came through. 

"Fuuko." Mikagami let out a long sigh as he motioned his editor to excuse him. 

"Wow! How do you know?" 

"There's such thing called caller-id on this Earth, do you know that?" 

"Geez.... how harsh, Mi-chan." Fuuko laughed heartily down the phone. "What are you doing now?" 

"Sitting with my editor trying to come up with a name for my book. Why?" 

"Name for the book? Hmm.... how about Love Letter? The girl writes a lot of letters doesn't she?" 

"Yes, but the question is why you ask what I'm doing right now, not what the name of the book." Mikagami covered his eyes with a hand. _How silly can this girl get!_

Fuuko lamely laughed. "Oh yeah.... hehe.... well, Yanagi is coming out today so I was wondering if you'd want come out with us...." She paused. "But then you sound really tired, so maybe dinner?" 

"Whatever. I am busy right now, call me later." With that Mikagami hung up, only to get a text message right the next second, 'Don't you dare hanging up on me, but I'll call you. Of course you're going to pay for dinner as an apology right?' 

His editor looked at Mikagami wide-eyed. Never had he seen Mikagami smiled before, and now he saw Mikagami smiling gently to a cell phone? "Eh.... Mikagami-sensei?" 

"Oh yeah, sorry about that." Mikagami looked up with his usual poker face, silently noting his editor's surprised expression. "Yes, the title for the book..." He took a sip of his coffee again and looked up, "Love Letter. The new book is going to be called Love Letter."


End file.
